Midway through the 2011 season the No. 9 Oregon Ducks remain a contender for
the Pacific-12 Conference title with an outside shot at a BCS National
Championship game, should some breaks fall their way. Formidable
opponents such as No. 22 Washington (5-1, 3-0), No. 7 Stanford (6-0, 4-0
Pac-12) and USC (5-1, 3-1) stand between Oregon (5-1, 3-0) and a
guaranteed trip to the inaugural conference title game where a Rose Bowl
berth would be on the line. Here's our mid-season report card for
Oregon along with a quick peek into the future:

OFFENSE

Excelling:
No doubts should remain regarding the Ducks' ability to replace three
starting offensive linemen from last year and resume their dominance on
the ground. Oregon ranks fifth in the nation in rushing (314 yards per
game) and total offense (539). Running back LaMichael James was on pace
to flirt with 2,000 yards rushing before his elbow injury against
California.

Needs work: The passing game has been solid but still
seems to be finding itself at times. Quarterback Darron Thomas has
played unevenly against good competition and the receiving corps hasn't
delivered on as many big plays as it did last season. But that quickly
appears to be changing with the return of a healthy Josh Huff at wide
receiver and the emergence of freshman, Mr. Do Everything, De'Anthony
Thomas.

MVP: Right guard Mark Asper. It would be easy to select
someone with obvious statistics, but Asper has been the anchor of a line
that went through major transitions. Moving him from right tackle to
right guard allowed the Ducks to firm up the interior of the line and
helped the running backs rebound from a disastrous start against LSU.
Oregon's running backs are talented but this offense -- like many -- is
built around the line's ability to get angles on defenders to create
lanes and space for the long runs the ball carriers' enjoy. Asper is the
best of that group.

Grade: A. Tough to find too much fault with a
team racking up the numbers Oregon has, considering they've survived the
loss of running back James, Huff and Darron Thomas for significant
time.

DEFENSE

View full sizeBruce Ely / The OregonianOregon Ducks safety John Boyett (20) attempts to block a field goal at the end of the first half as The University of Oregon faces the University of California Berkeley at Autzen Stadium.

Excelling: The Ducks lead the nation in looking
pathetic for about 40 yards and then tightening up like a dog's jaws on a
steak bone once a team is within sniffing distance of the end zone.
When needed, Oregon's athletic defense is capable of creating pressure
while a talented secondary makes it difficult for opposing quarterbacks
to find openings with such little time to survey the field. And all of
this is happening with the Ducks having forced onlyfour turnovers on the
year.

Needs work: Speaking of turnovers; four is not going to cut
it. The degree of difficulty in the Ducks' schedule continues to
increase in the second half of the season and at some point, Oregon must
start earning takeaways as it did last season when it led the Pac-12
with 37. Also, Oregon ranks 91st in the nation in total defense (413.8).
That needs to improve.

MVP: Safety John Boyett. Nobody on defense
stands out statistically on a team with just 11 sacks and four
turnovers, but Boyett leads the team in tackles (29), pass breakups (4)
and big hits in the secondary (too many to count). Grade: B. The Ducks need to either stop giving up a glut of yards or start forcing turnovers to take the next step as a unit.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Excelling:
Punter Jackson Rice ranks eighth in the nation in punting at 46.2 per
punt and the Ducks are second in the nation in net punting (44.04).

Needs
work: Oregon has yet to find its stride in the return game. That could
change with the return of cornerback Cliff Harris to the punt returner
role. Oregon ranks a respectable 28th in the nation in punt return
average (11.4) but is tied for 108th in kickoff return average (19).

MVP:
Rice. His booming punts have helped the Ducks win the field position
battle despite the defense surrendering so many yards. Grade: C. Excelling in punting is nice but the Ducks need to get the explosion back in their return game.

COACHING

Excelling:
The Oregon machine on offense continues to plug bodies in key holes and
resume rolling without many missteps. It's a testament to the attention
to detail and commitment to preparing all players at every level of the
depth chart that the team was able to replace James and Darron Thomas
and still defeat a team the caliber of Arizona State.

Needs work:
The defense is still feeling its way in some areas and defensive
coordiantor Nick Aliotti certainly would like to cut down the yards
allowed while increasing turnovers. These are the challenges the team
faces if it wants to win a third-consecutive conference title.

Grade:
A. Any solid coach can win with great players but winning over time
with numerous faces, and/or replacing stars with backups is a testament
to great coaching. Given all of the changes from last year and injuries
this season, it's difficult to fault this coaching staff in too many
areas.

OVERALL TEAM GPA: 3.25 out of 4.0. Strong first half but only one win over an FBS team that currently has a winning record.

SECOND-HALF FORECAST

Where
is this team headed?: The Ducks have turned the corner from being a
young team in transition to one with few holes and seemingly too much
talent on its hands. No reason Oregon can't run the table. Well, there's
one reason...

Most important game(s): At Stanford on Nov. 12
remains the game of the year. Oregon certainly can't afford to overlook
the Huskies, but Stanford, with Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback
Andrew Luck, the likely No. 1-overal pick in next year's NFL Draft, is
more than capable of knocking off Oregon.

Bowl game prediction:
I've had Oregon losing at Stanford since day one. If that happens, the
Ducks would likely miss the conference title game but still receive the second bowl seed out of the conference. This assumes Oregon doesn't fall to anyone else and ASU wins the South Division. That would mean an Alamo Bowl invite to play the
third-place team from the Big 12 Conference. Right now, it looks like that could be either Oklahoma State (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) or Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1). It would appear highly unlikely that a 10-2 Oregon team would receive an at-large invite to a BCS bowl game.